Stalked by the Cornerback (Obsessed Alphas #8)

8. Dylan

CHAPTER 8

DYLAN

I walked over to Crank and stood next to him.

“She looks happy,” I observed. I was fucking delighted that he had talked his girl into coming out. I was happy for the guy. He worked hard on and off the field. He deserved to have some fun.

“Yeah,” he muttered seriously. I didn’t have to look away from Libby to know that Crank looked like he was about to strangle someone. “But if that fucking rookie doesn’t back off, he won’t be pitching next season,” he added. I chuckled quietly because I’d called it.

“Relax. You look like you’re about to pop an aneurysm. He knows she’s taken,” I murmured, trying to reassure him. It was fucking obvious that Libby was all his.

Just then, she walked over. Mattie. What the hell was my girl doing here? My breathing changed. It became huskier.

“You think?” Crank asked. I tore my eyes from Mattie and watched Libby’s gaze search and find Crank’s. Watching the two of them find one another felt almost like it was something I shouldn’t be witnessing. Something intimate. And just like that, the big guy next to me relaxed.

“See how she looks at you?” I pointed out. “Not one of these motherfuckers, sober or not, misses the way she looks at you.” I couldn’t stop looking at Maddie, who was now talking to Libby. The two of them somehow got along easily. “Question is, my man, what are you going to do about it?” Am I asking Crank or myself? What the fuck was I going to do about Mattie?

“What do you mean?” he asked and turned to look at me.

“Bro, is she yours, or is this just for the summer? A fun fling?” My hands rose between us with innocence. “No disrespect or judgment. You know I got your back either way.” I hoped he would claim her. She was good for him. I’d never seen Crank the way he was with her. He almost seemed more relaxed when he was around her.

“She’s mine,” Crank answered without a bit of doubt in his voice. He glanced back at his girl, who was still staring at him. Libby wiggled her fingers hi before turning her attention to my girl.

“Who is that?” Crank asked. I stayed quiet. “Dyl?” he called my name, but I couldn’t stop looking at her. Not that she spared me one glance.

“Mattie,” I muttered.

“Mattie?” he repeated. “We took that sports medicine course with her, didn’t we?” I grunted, hoping it was enough to confirm it for him, but didn’t look away.

The girls sat together, and Mattie said something that made Libby laugh. They leaned in, and long forgotten was the stupid rookie pitcher. Luckily for him, he left, and they just kept chatting away. They looked thick as thieves instead of two women who just met. I liked that. I liked my girl meeting someone as genuinely sweet as Libby.

“Does she know that?” I asked, tearing my eyes from the girls. Crank’s dark gaze locked on mine.

“That she’s mine?” I nodded with a shrug.

“We’ve known one another since you transferred here and been roommates for the last two years. I know you. As much as you try not to admit it, we’re even friends,” I shared, not surprised in the least when Crank rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have a problem being friends. Jesus.”

“Really?” I challenged.

“You wanna braid my hair next”? he muttered, raising the water bottle in his hand to his lips.

“Maybe later, shithead.” I laughed. “I’m just saying, girl like her? Don’t waste your time, or especially hers, by dilly-dallying.” Crank scowled at me before I turned to look at the girls. Fuck, Mattie looked good. She was wearing the sweetest little summer dress and showing off a lot of leg. Damn.

“Dilly-dallying? Is that some kind of midwestern thing?” he teased, and I playfully shoulder-checked him.

“Fuck you, man. We can’t all be cool and born and raised in Southern California,” I muttered back.

“You’re right about that.” Crank laughed and shook his head. “I get what you’re saying, though.” He cleared his throat.

“Good.” I nodded. My attention drifted back to the two women who were now talking to a third. “Lock it down because shit can change in the blink of an eye.” As if feeling our gazes on them, the girls looked in our direction. Mattie stared, and before I knew it, she mouthed hi . I nodded. A muscle at my jaw twitched before Crank tapped my shoulder.

“So, you two…” It was obvious that he was putting things together.

“Nothing. Drop it,” I growled, glancing at him, not missing the way his lips twitched.

“Okay, then,” Crank mumbled. “Guess I’m the only one who had to share.” I knew what he was doing.

“It’s… it’s complicated.” I sighed, unable to hide how unhappy I felt.

“When isn’t it, man?” Crank finished his water bottle when we both noticed one of our teammates start to saunter over to the girls.

By the way he was staring at them, I knew exactly what he had in mind. Tuck Pearson was a pain in the ass. Rich kid born with a silver spoon who was never told he couldn’t have something. He was lazy, but money talked when your parents swung it around this way and that. Guys like him were a big reason I didn’t join a frat when I started at U of D. The guy was an entitled prick.

I watched as he walked up to the girls, but they ignored him, too invested in whatever they were talking about.

“Fucking Tuck,” I mumbled under my breath, my hands fisting at my sides. Crank grabbed my arm knowing I had a temper and that Tuck rubbed me the wrong way.

“Chill,” he muttered but still moved, and I wasn’t far behind him.

“Hey, princess, I’ve never seen you at one of our parties before,” Stupid Tucker drawled out slowly.

“Oh, umm…” Libby glanced over at Mattie, who was already rolling her eyes.

“Her name isn’t princess,” I heard my sweet girl defend her. “And this is an a and b conversation, so why don’t you see your way out of it, jock,” she continued beautifully.

“Aw, come on, Pattie,” Tuck scoffed. “Jealous?”

“You wish! And my name isn’t Pattie. It’s Mattie,” she corrected him.

“Look, why don’t you mind your own business, Fattie Mattie?” he hissed.

That’s when I’d heard enough.

Crank might have been in front of me just a couple of steps ahead, but I beat him to it. Before Crank knew it, not only was I at his side, but I picked up Tuck by his shirt. The guy was about my size, but that didn’t stop me from lifting him up and off the ground.

“What the fuck did you just say?” I growled, shoving my face in front of the douchebag.

“Relax, Dyl! Jesus. What’s your problem? She’s just some fat chick with––“ I didn’t let him say another goddamn syllable. My arm pulled back, and I punched Tuck in the face. Pain radiated down my hand, but I didn’t care. It was worth it. All I could do was see red. Who the hell does he think he is, calling my girl names?

“Fuck! What the hell, man?!” Tuck exclaimed, holding his face. He glared at me. His hand covered his nose, but he didn’t make a move to attack me back.

He didn’t have the balls.

Not when a couple of the guys on the team were already surrounding us. Standing at our sides, ready to pull us apart in case this thing turned into a brawl.

“Don’t you ever talk about her like that.” I jabbed Tuck’s chest with his finger. “Don’t even fucking look at her,” I growled. His nose flared. My hands itched to punch him again, but that’s when I felt her. I might not have seen her move, but I felt the soft heat of her body behind me. Her small hand touched my arm, and it felt like all the fight and heat in my blood started to fade away.

She soothed something in me with a simple touch, and if I hadn’t already crossed so many damn lines and boundaries, right then and there, I would have known I was fucked. Just with a touch.

“You hit him.” Her voice was whisper soft as I turned to look down at her.

“I did.” My jaw clenched. “I’m sorry.” My voice sounded raspy in my own ears. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but—" Mattie’s hand took mine, and she lifted it up between us. My heart thundered against my rib cage. Holy fuck, she was touching me.

“We should get this cleaned up,” she said softly. Mattie looked toward Libby, who I was standing next to by now, and shrugged. “Sorry. We’ll talk later?”

“Sure.” Libby nodded as she leaned into Crank.

“Text me you got home okay?” Mattie urged, and Libby nodded. I would have smiled, really liking the fact Crank’s girl and mine got along, if it weren’t for the fact that Mattie started to walk away. With my hand in hers.

Heat rushed through my body to temperatures I was unsure I had ever felt. Not even when I got a really bad flu when I was twelve. I silently let her lead me through the house. People moved out of the way for us, not that I paid attention to them. Not when all I could do was follow her like a puppy while I watched the top of her head. She walked us towards the back of the house and stopped in the somewhat crowded kitchen by the sink. People were watching us, but I only had eyes for her through the roaring of blood rushing through my ears.

Mattie let my hand go and reached for the paper towels. Without asking, she took the roll and returned to me.

“Come on,” she said, once again taking the hand I hadn’t used when I punched Tucker, and walked us to the backyard, not stopping until she found a quiet spot, where she pointed at a bench for me to sit. I took it and looked at her, daring to tangle our fingers together. “Can you sit here while I go to those coolers to grab you a water and some ice?”

“Mattie—“

“Please,” she said, letting my hand go and picking up the one I’d punched Tuck with. “We need to ice it to make sure it doesn’t swell,” she insisted. I nodded because. As much as I hated the idea of her walking away from me, I doubted I could deny her anything. She gave me a small smile before she turned and headed towards the coolers. I didn’t take my eyes off her as I soaked in the sight of her.

There was a quiet elegance with the way she moved. Her hips swayed, almost like they did it just for my eyes. When she stood by the cooler waiting for some guys to get their beers, she glanced over her shoulder, and our eyes connected.

Mine, the voice perked up, softly, in my head. Mine. Mine. Mine. It started to chant every mine a little louder than the last. I was fucked. There was no sane part of me left. Not now. Not after her coming to take care of me. Her soft body returned and stood between my thighs. My mouth went dry.

Without a word uttered between us, I watched her get to work, tending to my reddened knuckles. She poured water on a paper towel and gently took my hand to dab the wet paper towel over my knuckles.

“Bright side, it didn’t break the skin. But we should still try and find some hydrogen peroxide and something to keep it clean with. Maybe wrap it up.” I grunted because my fucking brain couldn’t seem to function enough to string a couple of words together.

Her eyes rose and connected with mine, and fuck me, she could have toppled me over. “You shouldn’t fight. It can get you kicked off the team,” she said softly and my heart, my poor fucking heart, squeezed with joy. She cares. That fed hopes into my veins.

“You worried about me, shortcake?” The term of endearment slipped past my lips before I could stop myself. If it affected her, she didn’t show it.

No. My girl simply rolled her eyes and kept dabbing on my knuckles. “You’re talented on the field. It would suck if you couldn’t keep being great out there because you hit some dumbass douchebag.”

“He disrespected you,” I growled and winced when she rubbed ice over my knuckles.

“And?” Her eyes rose. “They were just words, Dylan.”

“Yeah, and I won’t have him, or anyone, talk to you like that.”

“You make it sound like you care,” Mattie mumbled under her breath, but I didn’t miss it.

“Hey,” I said, but she didn’t look at me. Her attention was laser-focused on my hand. “Shortcake, look at me.”

“Why?” she asked, not doing as she was told.

My sweet little morsel had a bratty side, and fuck me, every part of me loved it. Loved that she felt safe enough to let me see it.

“Because I said so,” I quickly answered, knowing very well how much of a dick it made me sound like. When she didn’t do my bidding, my free hand moved between us. The pads of my fingers lifted her chin, and when our eyes locked, I knew there would be no one else for me. She was it. She was mine. Forever.

“Want to have dinner with me?” I found myself stupidly asking. Her eyes widened, and then these cute little lines formed between her brows before she started to laugh. “Are you serious right now?”

“Like a heart attack,” I answered, not picking up on her vibes.

“No.” She shook her head, and I blinked.

“Excuse me?” I asked, not believing she turned me down. Could I have read the vibes between us completely wrong?

“No.” She shook her head. My girl stepped back, and I sat straighter.

“No?” I repeated, my confusion clear in my voice.

“Why would I say yes? Why would I agree to go out with you?”

“Matt—“

“You haven’t bothered to say hi to me all summer. Not out on the field or when I’ve seen you around.”

“Matt—“

“Not to mention the way you acted all assholey after finals. It was like you couldn’t get away from me fast enough! Like you were afraid to bee seen with me.”

“Shortcake—“

“And what’s with the nickname? Did you forget my name already? Is that what you do to keep all the girls on your roster from getting mixed up?” Jesus Christ, I was sick in the head for loving the fire in her eyes. “I don’t know what that was all about”—she waved towards the house— “in there, and right now with the whole no one is going to disrespect you,” she mimicked my deep voice. “But the facts are that when someone shows you who they are, you should believe them, and you, sir”—she poked my chest, but I’d had enough.

She was a magnificent sight to behold all riled up, but I needed to clear up this little misunderstanding, and fast. I stood and reached for her quickly, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her into me.

“What are you doin?—“

“Shut it,” I clipped.

“Excuse me?!” Her eyes widened, and I smiled. “Why are you smiling?”

“Because you’re fucking sexy as hell when you get pissed. But then again, you’re always sexy as fuck.”

“Dylan—“

“I fucked up,” I blurted. “I got nervous with you after finals. But let me tell you something. I wasn’t running away. I don’t think I could ever run away from you,” I admitted, and relief hit me when her body relaxed in my arms before I was done talking.

“Dyl—“

“And I’m sorry if I’ve been…” I hesitated, trying to figure out how the hell to explain to her what I’d been going through. I had a feeling if I admitted I’d been following her and stalking her, it wouldn’t go over well. “I’ve been in my head the last couple of weeks, but you need to know something.”

“What?” She scowled at me, but I could tell from the way her eyes dipped to my mouth and then back up to my eyes that she was just holding on to being pissed to make a point.

“I like you. I like you a whole fucking bunch. I’ve liked you from the moment you walked into that damn class and suddenly, a course I really didn’t fucking wanna take became a hell of a lot more interesting.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry for being quiet these last couple of weeks. And I’m sorry about that scene inside. He called you…” I shook my head and exhaled roughly, trying to let go of how pissed Tucker had made me. “That wasn’t cool, but I shouldn’t have punched him and freaked you out and make you scared of me.”

“I’m not scared of you,” she scoffed. “You were a jerk after finals… I thought…”

“What?”

“It doesn’t matter.” The hell it didn’t, but I wouldn’t push. Not yet.

“Give me one more chance,” I pleaded. My eyes never wavered from hers. “I don’t deserve it, and I know you could do a hell of a lot better than a guy like me, Mattie. But I swear if you give me one chance, I will show you I can be the kind of guy who would feel privileged to stand by your side,” I laid out, not knowing what she would say, but I needed her to know what my intentions were.

She blinked and swallowed. I watched, fully captivated as her pretty tongue poked out and glided over her plump top lip. “Dylan.” My name sounded so damn good on her lips.

“Please,” I whispered, then leaned closer. I wasn’t above playing dirty. My nose brushed against hers. “Please give me one more chance.”

“One chance?”

“Dinner. Tomorrow.”

“I don’t know.” She sighed, pulling her head back, but not enough to where I didn’t feel the soft exhale of her breath on my mouth. My dick was fucking throbbing behind my jeans. Everything inside of me yelled at me to kiss her. Convince her one way or another to give us a chance.

But I didn’t give in.

Not yet.

“Okay,” she whispered, shocking the hell out of me. She stepped away and out of my hold. “Tomorrow. Dinner.” Her legs wobbled, and I reached for her before she slipped. I grinned at her as overwhelming joy flowed through me.

“Can I walk you home?” I asked.

If I got to walk her home, that would mean I could tell her I lived in the same building. She opened her mouth, but before she said something, a girl called out her name.

“Mattie!” We turned to watch a petite girl rush towards us. One who looked at me like she didn’t know what to make of me before her attention landed on my girl. “Oh my god! Are you okay? Someone just told me some football guy was a jerk to you!”

“I’m fine, Becks.”

“I’m the worst! I should have hurried back. I got talking to someone and?—“

“Becks, I’m good. I promise,” Mattie said, stepping away from my hold. “Becks, this is Dylan?—“

“Macabee,” she finished, and I frowned. She didn’t look familiar, but that didn’t mean I might not have hooked up with her in the past. My first year at U of D, I had been a bit of a player. “You’re a decent cornerback.” She shrugged, and I nodded.

“Thanks,” I mumbled. My hand reached for Mattie, something her friend didn’t miss. Just like that, the vibe around us changed. Becks smiled, and her dark eyes bounced between us.

“It looks like I might have interrupted something.”

“You didn’t. I was—“ Mattie started to say, but I cut her off.

“I just offered Mattie to walk her home. If you want, I can walk the two of you?—“

“Oh no! If you’re okay, Mattie, do you mind if I stay a little longer? Lee from the guy’s soccer team is here, and we were kinda vibing.”

“Oh, okay. Umm…” Mattie looked at her friend. “You sure?”

“You sure you’re okay with this guy?” Becks pointed at me, and my shortcake giggled.

“He’s harmless,” she teased.

I shoved my free hand into the front pocket of my pants. Harmless. If she only knew just how harmless I wasn’t, there was no way she would let me hold her hand, much less walk her home.